Module Link

This resource was originally developed with resources from the College STAR grant. That grant has ended and the College STAR modules will now permanently reside at the East Carolina University Office for Faculty Excellence.

Module Introduction

The college classroom is an important place where students and teachers learn and grow together. It is a place where collaboration occurs as well as idea-sharing and relationship-building. Instructors are one of the most influential figures in the classroom, with the ability to enhance the learning environment and influence the behaviors of all present. This module is designed to share ideas about how instructors can create a learning environment that is "welcoming" for students. By "welcoming" we mean a learning environment that considers the diverse range of strengths and approaches to learning on the college campus today and then facilitates interactions and designs instruction in such a way to maximize learning and reduce barriers in the classroom. Three themes are addressed here in relation to creating a welcoming learning environment; the implementation of effective teaching strategies, the development of a positive relationship between students and teachers, and the effective dealing of conflict in the classroom.

Jennifer Sisk, an English instructor at East Carolina University (ECU) in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences instructs first year students in the area of English Composition. She has made it her mission through teaching to show students that she cares about them and their success. She is invested not only in the projects they create, but also in their success in college as a whole. Ms. Sisk understands that students, especially first year students, have a lot on their shoulders, and she wants to insure that students have access to a comfortable and safe learning environment where they gain confidence as students during the learning process.

Jennifer Sisk has developed many ways of making the classroom a welcoming place. One strategy involves taking the time to get to know the learners in her classroom each term. For example, during the first week of class she uses a strategy to learn her student's names, physical characteristics, and personality traits (see how she does this in the Instructional Practice section of this module).

As the class progresses during the semester, Ms. Sisk spends a great deal of time learning about her students' learning styles and what they are truly passionate about. Many students comment during post-course evaluations that they feel "Ms. Sisk truly cares about them and their education". She makes it her goal to create a level of comfort where her students feel safe and welcome, which she believes helps them learn.

Read more about creating a welcoming learning environment through the development of a positive relationship between students and teachers, the implementation of effective teaching strategies, and the effective resolution of conflict in the classroom in the Instructional Practice section of this module.

Support for this Module

Original development of this module was made possible by the College STAR (Supporting Transition Access and Retention) initiative.  College STAR was a grant-funded project focused on partnering postsecondary educational professionals and students to learn ways for helping postsecondary campuses become more welcoming of students with learning and attention differences. Much of this work was made possible by generous funding from the Oak Foundation.

Remote teaching and learning might appear to be a bumpy road-but it doesn’t have to be! UDL rockstars, start your engines! With UDL as a design roadmap, we can create environments that are accessible, engaging, and supportive of learner variability. In this session, we’ll examine ways to use the UDL guidelines to design virtual (and hybrid) learning environments, as well as design tips that are transferable to in-person environment design. We’ll explore strategies, tips, and exemplars to boost student engagement in virtual or hybrid environments, improve the accessibility of online content, and optimize choice in digital spaces. By the end of the session, participants will have concrete strategies for creating universally designed virtual environments to capture, boost, and sustain student engagement.

Goals:

By the end of the session, attendees will be able to:

• Evaluate my virtual learning environment
• Identify best practices for universally designed digital environments
• Practice using tech tools to boost engagement, foster collaboration, reflection
• Plan to use 3+ strategies or tools to support learner engagement

Build Background and Reflect

Consider the following questions. Collect your responses on a document – written or typed. 

• Consider your digital learning environment. What tools or options are provided to get learners excited, motivated to learn?
• What resources are provided to help learners understand content?
• What tools or options are provided for learners to show what they know?
• Are there high tech, low tech, no tech options available?

Session Video Recording

Session Resource:

• Slide Deck

Apply Your Learning

• Share your ideas from the session on our group idea board (Padlet)
• Reflect upon the learning environment you used in our introduction activity. Consider 2 strategies or tools from this session you could apply to further implement UDL in that learning environment moving forward. 
• Additional reading and resources:
  • 6 UDL Practices for Online Learning
  • Creating an Inclusive Virtual Classroom
  • Fresh BCSC Tech (UDL + edTech Blog)

In this session, participants will explore ways in which form drives function and how flexible learning spaces can support learner centered education.

Goals:

• Explore ways in which form drives function and how flexible learning spaces can support learner centered education.

Build Background and Reflect

• Read and explore resources from the Edutopia article: Classroom Makeovers to Engage Learning
  • Reflect on the following questions after you have completed the article review:
    • When learners walk into your classroom, what do you want them to see, feel, and think?
    • Reflect on different environments in which you work and how they impact your ability to think, collaborate, be creative, motivate, or increase energy (i.e. The office, coffee shop, your living room, etc).
      • How does form drive function in each of these environments?

Using a paper and pencil or an online tool like Mind Meister, create a mind map that outlines the connection between various flexible learning spaces in your current learning environment and the purpose for those spaces.

Video Session

View the Session Recording 

Interactive Notes Document

Apply Your Learning

Review the research based document from Steelcase Education, shared in the video presentation, to discover ways to redesign your classroom and implement flexible learning spaces that have purpose and drive learning.

You may also consider how to bring elements of flexible learning spaces discussed in the 3rd Teacher to life.

In order to create meaningful opportunities for learners to make choices and become self-directed in their learning, we have to move away from being lesson planners and embrace our role as designers of learning opportunities and educational spaces. 

Learning designers empathize and seek to understand, define challenges and decisions to be made, share and value all ideas, create prototypes for iterations of their work, test their iterations to determine what works and how to move the design forward, and value the learner as the center of design.

Start the Module

The environment is the context in which learning takes place. It mirrors the ideas, values, attitudes, and cultures of those who use the space. Educators must utilize the learning environment to communicate the beliefs that learners should be at the center of the learning experience and that intentional and inclusive pedagogy are valued in the space. 

Start the Module

This session addresses affective, recognition and strategic networks for all learners. Due to challenging circumstances, educators have to change instructional delivery from face to face to virtual. The purpose of education is to engage all in all settings. Now the question is: Are we reaching out to all learners virtually? Are the lessons addressing the needs of all learners? Are we providing equity to all learners ? Are we bridging the gaps? The participant will walk away with ideas how to reduce barriers in reaching out to all learners.

• Poster
• Speaker Notes
• Slide Deck
• References

Gaining campus-wide momentum in the adoption of UDL can be challenging. Educating diverse college and university stakeholders in ways UDL can support their unique goals takes finesse. The Deck of Spaces: Higher Education Edition™ is a valuable tool kit to spark ideas and initiate conversations across every facet of campus. We will engage attendees with the tool kit to explore the untapped potential of your campus spaces from furniture in the classrooms to student support services to the campus-wide user experience. The deck is also a strong advocacy tool to expand the conversation around UDL on campuses and illustrate the potential of UDL principles to impact the bottom line of collegiate institutions in these challenging times. This session will give attendees an opportunity to “test drive” the deck and understand its many possible applications in support of UDL at the higher ed level.

Session Video Recording
UDL Deck of Spaces: Higher Education Edition
Gould Evans Education

Gaining campus-wide momentum in the adoption of UDL can be challenging. Educating diverse college and university stakeholders in ways UDL can support their unique goals takes finesse. The Deck of Spaces: Higher Education Edition™ is a valuable tool kit to spark ideas and initiate conversations across every facet of campus. We will engage attendees with the tool kit to explore the untapped potential of your campus spaces from furniture in the classrooms to student support services to the campus-wide user experience. The deck is also a strong advocacy tool to expand the conversation around UDL on campuses and illustrate the potential of UDL principles to impact the bottom line of collegiate institutions in these challenging times. This session will give attendees an opportunity to “test drive” the deck and understand its many possible applications in support of UDL at the higher ed level.

Session Video Recording
UDL Deck of Spaces: Higher Education Edition
Gould Evans Education

The COVID-19 crisis has caused unprecedented and inequitable learning loss across American K-12 education, particularly for students with learning differences at schools in marginalized communities. This makes equitable learning acceleration more important now than ever before. As schools adapt, how will teachers help all students catch back up? This session describes a potential solution, differentiated flexible small groups, and offers a roadmap for classrooms to implement it. Together, we’ll explore how to leverage granular student data to inform collaborative planning sessions where teachers use UDL principles to design learning environments that help every student make progress, whether in-person or online.

Session Video Recording
Slide Deck
NWEA Research
What, So What, Now What Protocol

Are your learning spaces a barrier to student learning and UDL implementation? This session illustrates a process to better integrate UDL into the space design of schools, using the new Mission Bay School in San Francisco as a case study. The design principles and process tools are valuable whether you’re involved in capital improvements or simply wanting to hack the spaces you have today.  The session will highlight 8 key design principles every school should pay attention to.

Session Video Recording
Gould Evans Education
UDL Deck of Spaces